Musical instrument.



No. 7||,2o3. Patented on. l4, I902.

n. r. FLEMMINGS.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

(Appliation am July 94, 1902. (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shoot I.

Witnesses: 24 1) Inventor:

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Patented Oct. I4, I902.

R. F. FLEMMINGS.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

(Application filed July 24, 1902;

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT F. FLEMMINGS, OF MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 711,203, dated October 14, 1902.

Serial No. 116,799. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern: is secured; and Fig. 17 is an inverted plan of Be it known that I, ROBERT F. FLEMMINGS, the outer bridge.

of Melrose, in the county of Middlesex and In the drawings, 1 represents the back, 2

State of hlassachusettsdrave invented certain the front, and 3 the side walls, of the body of new and useful Improvements in Musical Inthe instrument, said parts being secured tostruments, of which the following, taken in gether by glue and the corner stay-strips 4 in connection with the accompanying drawings, a well-known manner.

is a specification. The head-block 5 is provided with the fou r My invention relates to musical instruarms 6, which are curved to fit the curve of to ments, and especially to that class of stringed the inside of the head of the body of the ininstruments in which the strings are vibrated strnment, said arms being glued to the back, by the fingers, is an improvement upon the front, andside of said body, as shown. A invention shown and described in Letters similar block 7, provided with four arms 8, Patent No. 338,727, granted to me March 30, is in like manner secured to the back, front,

:5 1886, and it consists in certain novel features and side walls of the instrument at its foot or of construction, arrangement, and combinalower end. tion of parts,which will be readily understood The blocks 5 and 7 are cut from wood, with by reference to the description of the accomthe grain extending lengthwise of the arms panying drawings and to the claims hereto (Sand 8,and add very materiallytothestrength 2o appended andin which myinventionis clearly of the instrument. 7o

pointed out. The usual transverse stay-bars or stiifeners Figure 1 is a plan of a musical instrument 9 9 are secured to the inside surfaces of the embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a secback 1 and front 2. tional plan of the same, the cutting plane be- The neck 10 is of the usual construct-ion,

25 ing on line A A on Fig. 5. Fig. 3 is a transexcept as will hereinafter be described, and verse section on line B B on Fig. 2 looking is provided with the tuning-keys 11, which in the direction indicated by the arrow a on may be of any well-known constructi0n,-and said Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is atransverse section on with the finger-board 12, of usual construcline C O on Fig. 2 looking in the direction tion.

0 indicated by the arrow D. Fig. 5 is a longi- The neck 10 is secured to the body of the. tudinal section on line D D on Fig. 1. Fig. instrument by the circular hub 13, which fits 6 is a partial section on line D D drawn to' closely into a c0rrespondingly-shaped openan enlarged scale. Fig. 7 is a partial section ing through the block 5, and the screw 14, on line A A on Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a plan view which passes through the heel of said neck 35 of the top bearing-plate of the neck. Figs. and screws into said block 5, as shown in 9 and 10 are respectively an elevation and a Fig. 6. transverse section of the lower inside bridge The under portion of that part of the finwith thestring-pickingdevice mounted thereger-board which projects over the front of on. Figs. 11 and 12 are respectively a plan the body of the instrument is firmly secured 40 and a sectional elevation of the tuning-key to the neck 10 for about one and three-fourths for the inside strings. Fig. 13 represents a of an inch of the length thereof, but at a displan and edge view of the upper washer of tance of about three-fourths of an inch outsaid key, and Fig. 14 represents a plan and side of the extreme upper end of the body of edge view of the other two washers of said the instrument, the surface to which it is se- 45 key. Fig. 15 is an elevation of the inside cured being raised above the level of the top 5 head-block, to which the neck is secured, as end portion of the front of the body of the hereinafter described. Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, instrument, while that portion of the neck 11, 12, 13, and 14 are drawn to an enlarged between said point of attachment and the top scale. Fig. 16 is an elevation of the inside end of said body is on a level with the outer 5o footblock,to which the foot tuning-key holder surface of the front 2 and has firmly secured I00 thereto by screws the metal plate 15, which extends over and presses firmly upon the upper portion of the front 2, with a clear space between its outer surface and the inner surface of the finger-board.

The outer bridge 16 has formed in its under surface beneath the bearings of the string 17 a longitudinal recess 18, so that said bridge has two parallel bearings on the front of the instrument extending transversely thereof, which greatly improves the tone of the instrument.

The strings 17 are arranged and mounted substantially as in my before-cited patent.

The upper end of the body of the instrument has secured thereto two reinforcingplates 19 19, one on each side of the heel of the neck, in each of which are set a series of headed studs 20, the shanks of which have formed in their inner ends eyes or perforations, in which the upper ends of the inner series of strings 21 are secured, said studs extending through the reinforcing-plates 19 and wall 3 of the body of the instrument, as shown in Fig. '7.

Two bridges 22 22, over which the strings 21 are strained near their connections to the studs 20, may be of any well-known construction.

The strings 21 extend from the bridges 22 22 to and over the bridge 23, thence through the block 7 and the lower portion of the wall 3 of the body of the instrument, and are woundupon the lower ends of the tuning-keys 24:, set in the arm 25, which is secured to and projects from the lower end of the body of the instrument, as in my before-cited prior patent.

The keys 24 are of novel construction, and each consists of a main stem provided a short distance above its lower end with the annular flange 26 and having immediately above said flange a cylindrical section 27, expanding at its upper end into a short squared section 28, above said squared section a threaded section 29, and above this a squared section 30 to receive a wrench to turn said stem to wind the string upon the portion thereof which projects below the flange 26 and is wound in cross-section and provided with the eye or perforation 31, by means of which the string is made fast thereto. The section of said stem immediately above the flange 26 has fitted thereon three washers 31 and 32, and the threaded portion has fitted thereto the barrel-like nut 33, the lower end of which is chambered out to permit it to inclose a portion of the squared section 28 of the stem, as shown in Fig. 12. The upper end of the nut 33 is provided with a slightly-proj ectin g milled head 34. The washer 31 has a square perforation, as shown in Fig. 13, of a size to fit the intermediate squared portion 28 of said stem, and the washers 32 are each provided with a circular opening of sufiicient diameter to permit said Washer to pass over said squared portion 28. The key-stem,with one of the washers 32 placed thereon and resting upon the flange 26, is passed through a hole in the arm 25. The other washer 32 is then placed over said stem, resting upon the arm 25. Then the Washer 31 is placed in position on thewasher 32 andsurrounding the squared section 28 of said stem, and then the nut 33 is screwed down upon said washer with sufficient force to clamp the washers 32 to the arm 25 to prevent their revolving when the stem is turned to strain the string, the flange 26 and the washer 31 having suflicient friction upon the washers 32 to prevent the string slackening when turned, but not sufficient to prevent the stem being turned to strain said string when a force greater than the strain on the string is applied to the squared upper end of said stein.

The bridge 23 is secured in a fixed position to one of the stay-bars 9 and has formed on the side thereof toward the upper end of the instrument two cars 34 34, in bearings in which is mounted the rod 35, having mounted therein the picker-arm 36, one end of which rod projects through the side wall of the body of the instrument and is provided with a knob or other suitable means of rotating said rod and moving it endwise in its bearings. This tuning-rod and its picker-arm are of substantially the same construction as described in my prior patent before cited, except that the picker-arm 36 is of a slightly-different shape, necessitated by placing the rod 35 beneath instead of above the strings. The bridge 23 has a notch 37 cut in its side toward the rod 1 termediate of its ends to blocks 39 39, which in turn are glued to the side Wall 3 of the body of the instrument at its narrowest part, as shown in Fig. 2.

A central stay-rod 40 has one end securely attached to the boss 13 of the heel of the neck 10, and its other eudis fitted to a hole in the block 7 and is firmly secured therein by the screw 41, substantially as in my prior patent.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a stringed musical instrument the combination with the body thereof composed of wooden front, back, and sides, of head and foot blocks, each provided with four laterally-projecting arms firmly secured in the interior of the body of the instrument, and reinforcing the attachment-of said front and back .to the side walls thereof.

2. In a stringed musical instrument the combination with the hollow body thereof, of the neck firmly secured to the smaller end of said body; a finger-board attached to said neck at a point above the junction of said neck and body; and a plate firmly secured to said neck between the lower end of the union of the finger-board with said neck and the junction of said neck and body, and extending over and bearing hard upon the upper portion of the body front, with its outer face entirely separated from contact with the tinger-board.

3. In a stringed musical instrument the combination with the hollow body thereof, of head and foot blocks each provided with four laterally-projecting arms, firmly secured in the interior of said body in positions to re inforce the connection between the front, back and side walls of the body of the instrument; and four longitudinal stay'bars connecting the ends of the laterally-projecting arms of said head and foot blocks and secured to the side walls at the narrowest part of said body.

4. In a stringed musical instrument the combination of a hollow body composed of front back and side walls; a pair of reinforc ing-plates secured to the upper end of said bodyone on each sideof the heel of the neck; two series of headed studs setin and projecting through said plates and the wall of said body, and each provided with an eye or perforation in its inner end, two series of strings connected at one end to said perforated and headed studs and extending longitudinally through the length of said body; two bridges resting upon the inner surface of the back of the instrument and supporting said strings near the head of said body; another bridge supporting said strings near the lower end of said body; and means for straining said strings arranged outside of said body.

5. In a stringed musical instrument the combination of a series of strings located within the hollow body thereof, a bridge for supporting said strings near the lower end of said body resting upon and secured to the back of said body, and provided with a pair of ears projecting laterally therefrom, and with the notch 37 contiguous to one of said ears; the rod 35 mounted in suitable bearings in said ears and extending through one side of said body; and the picking-arm 86 mounted upon said rod and arranged to operate as set forth.

6. In a stringed musical instrument having a series of strings located within the hollow body thereof, the combination with said hollow body, and internal strings, of the arm 25 projecting from the lower end of said body, and a series of tuning-keys set in said arm and composed of the following elements, viz., a central stem provided with the fixed annular flange 26; the cylindrical section 27; the squared sections 28 and 30, the threaded section 29, and the perforation 31; the two washers having a circular perforation; the washer 31 having a square perforation; and barrel-like nut 33 provided with a chamber in its lower end as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 23d day of July, A. D. 1902.

ROBERT F. FLEMMINGS.

\Vitnesses:

N. G. LOMBARD, .T. H. STEVENSON. 

